Name ideas for personal chef business

As a private chef you should brand yourself based on your personal style as much as your cooking style.  In what area of the country are you going to be cooking?  What is your demographic?  I just spoke to two owners that were not having the results they expected and I pointed out their store names as part of the reason (layout and selection were others).  Also, they created what they wanted on the menu vs what the demos indicated.  There was another Chef/owner I spoke with that had great success polling supermarket shoppers in the area where he opened his shop.  He went in both He put a slight twist on his dishes to make them interesting and has lines out the door and runners to keep up with his customers.

The point I am making, if you have not yet you might do a bit of research to support the foundation of your business, and in naming it consider a logical approach to your direction longer term to establish your reputation, and spice it up enough to make people that see your name go hmmm...that should be your personal brand recognition as well as the brand you are creating.  

Ever read the  "The Tipping Point"?    More businesses fail due to lack of name recognition than the products they sell.  All points in your business should connect.  A bit Zen, but the percent of successes indicate that to be true.

One last question.  Will your name tell a story?  One to share?  Consider it.

Your name is as important (and personal as any part of your business), as it should state your style, direction, level of quality, and those intangibles, creativity and confidence.  Good luck!

TK

Sounds like a story there!  When I started my restaurant in Paris I put a lot of thought into the direction and theme and subsequently the name.  I started with a culinary map of the world (in my mind), but ended up with a simple menu that I felt strongly would attract clientele. It worked.  I took more time deciding on the theme, menu and name than I did the decision to open my cafe.

I lived in OC as well as Long Beach and the Valley and spent a decade in SoCal restaurants, tasting the finest to seek the next great dish.  I just spent the summer in Europe on a culinary expedition and frankly was a bit disappointed in the variety.  I am leaving in January for a three months to explore the herbs and sauces of Southern Italy.  Why?  No matter how good we think we are in this artistry, pallets change, as does the need for consistency and connection with what we grew up with.  One of the reasons I asked about the demographics.

Hungarian and French...interesting.  For Mexican, Have you been to Oaxaca? A must trip someday - the spices are amazing!

One of my favorite joints in the OC was an Italian restaurant in Santa Ana.  The chef/owner is 84, and opens only for lunch.  It has popcorn ceilings and looks like something that came out of Sicily.  The food - terrific.  The owner will sit and smoke a cigar with and have a glass of wine with you when the kitchen is closed and talk about his dishes.  

With the cooking craze that is going on now I think it is important not to get swept up in trying to be like the rest and too creative.  Just stick to basics  and sounds like you have it - fresh, organic when possible, making what you like.

Good Luck!

I love Italian and Oriental cuisine. I would love building a restaurant with all of that cuisine that I love.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabchef 

Hi ,

I live in California, Orange county to be exact, thats where I am planning to have my business.

I cook Hungarian-French fusion, but I love Mexican and Asian flavors.

 

Thank you so much for your help, I appreciate it!

 

OMG, so much to think about.

 

Gab

 

A "fact of life" for most of the successful "personal chefs", you cook what your CLIENTS want and like, NOT necessarily what you like to cook or eat!

If you get very lucky, you find a majority of clients that like what you like, otherwise, you simply cook what they want or you don't work, it is that simple!

BTW, that holds true for a restaurant as well, trust me as an ex chef/owner who wouldn't listen and "did his own thing!